How can temp roles help achieve your career goals?

What will my next role be, how will my career pan out, where am I going? All questions you will find yourself pondering during your career – and unless you happen to have the ability to time travel (and drive to work in a DeLorean!), they’re not likely to be questions you know the answer to.

I specialise in HR recruitment and my particular niche is recruitment within the interim public sector market. I have found that interim work can be one of the most successful ways of developing and diversifying your career, in the way that you see fit. I have worked with numerous candidates who have been able to notch up contracts and experience as a temp over the space of three years that a permanent employee of an organisation would struggle to gain exposure to in over a decade.

There has been a dramatic change in what a millennial may describe as the ‘culture’ of interim work over the last decade. There used to be a real stigma associated with having a temp job, it simply wasn’t held in the same regard as permanent employment. However, this is changing, with the introduction of the ‘gig economy’ – people are leaning toward temporary work in order to have work/life balance, or gain certain experience and skills in a short amount of time.

With the aid of a well-suited recruitment consultant (contrary to popular belief there are still lots of us out there!), you can engage in a recruitment partnership that is tailored to meet your specific career goals. Whether that’s a permanent role for a certain company, or if you want to keep the interim dynamic of employment for the rest of your life. You need to be open and honest with the recruiter you are dealing with - and by that I mean tell them what you want to do in the future. What you may find is that each interim contract can quickly become a building block to achieving that all important career dream.

I’m always happy to consult on recruitment with any of my contacts, whether that’s advice on their next project or who they need to work with to achieve their goals. I also appreciate that certain companies and organisations are put off by a temporary career history - however I firmly believe perceptions are changing. Ernst and Young for example, a multinational professional services organisation, have recently scrapped the previous requirement for applicants to have achieved a 2:1 at degree level. With this in mind I would suggest that similarly, as businesses evolve and develop new ways of thinking, the view of the temporary market will inevitably change and perceptions will improve.

If you are currently considering a career move, or would like more information on the HR roles we have, contact me at mike.ford@sellickpartnership.co.uk. Alternatively, view our latest HR roles. Search Roles